Beet cleaner



Nov. 13, 1945 J. A. HARWOOD BEET CLEANER Filed April 18, 1944 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS l Nov. 13, 1945. J. A. HARWOOD BEET CLEANER Filed April 18, 1944 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

Nov. 13, 1945. J. A. HARWOO-D BEET CLEANER Filed April 18, 1944 5 Sheets-Sheet s' INVENTOR.

ATTDRNEYS Patented Nov. 13, 1945 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,388,740 BEET CLEANER James Andrew Harwood, Deaver, Wyo.

Application April 18,1944, Serial No. 531,613

5 Claims.

This invention relates to beet harvesters and more particularly to a cleaner constituting a portion of a harvester and by means of which beets are freed from dirt as they move from a puller to an elevator back of the puller.

One object of the invention is to provide a cleaner of such construction that it serves as means for delivering beets from the puller to the elevator as well as means for removing dirt from the beets during movement of the beets towards the elevator.

Another object of the invention is to so form the cleaner that a turning motion is imparted to the beets and dirt scraped and shaken from them as they are conveyed rearwardly of the harvester.

Another object of the invention is to so form the cleaner that it is power operated, power for operating the cleaner being obtained from a tractor by means of which the harvester is drawn across a field of growing beets.

Another object of the invention is to provide a beet harvester with a cleaner which is simple in construction, efficient in operation, and not liable to become broken or get out of order.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a beet harvester equipped with the improved beet cleaner.

Figure 2 is a view in elevation looking at the left side of the cleaner.

Figure 3 is a top plan view of the cleaner.

Figure 4 is a view taken along the line 4-4 of Figure 3 and looking at the right side of the clean- Figure 5 is a vertical sectional view taken transversely through the improved cleaner.

The beet harvester with which the improved cleaner has been shown incorporated has a frame I of any preferred construction, front and rear wheels 2 and 3 being provided to support the frame, and a draft appliance l being provided at the front of the frame in order that the harvester may be towed back of a tractor in a conventional manner. There has also been provided a beet topping blade 5 carried by standards 6 and in front of this blade is a guide plate 1 carried by a rod 8 which extends downwardly from the front end of a bar 9. This bar extends longitudinally of the frame and at its rear end carries dependin rods IU having their lower ends connected with the blade 5. A rod II has its lower end connected with the guide I and its upper end is threaded through a gear l2 meshing with a companion gear l3 connected with a shaft 14 by beveled gears Hi.

When the shaft I4 is turned by grasping the crank [6 at its rear end rotary motion is transmitted to through beet roots a predetermined distance below their tops as the guide rides over the beets and the blade moves into cutting engagement with the beets. This illustrates one form of topping mechanism and it is to be understood that other forms may be substituted. There has also been provided an elevator I! under the rear porti-on of the frame by means of which beets are delivered to a companion elevator l8 at the rear of the frame, the elevator l8 delivering the beets to a chute 19 from which the beets may drop into a suitable receptacle or into a wagon accompanying the harvester.

Between the topping mechanism and the elevator I1 is located a puller 2|] and a cleaner 2| constituting the subject-matter of this invention, and referring to Figure 3 it will be seen that the blades or shovels 22 are fiXed to lower ends of hanger bars or strips 23 disposed vertically and having their upper portions mounted through sleeves 23' and provided with suitable lever mechanisms 80 for vertical adjustment so that the depth to which the shovels enter the ground may be controlled. Rods or fingers 24 extend rearwardly from the shovels and are braced by arms 25 secured against inner side faces of the hanger bars close to the shovels. The rods or fingers are spaced transversely from each other, as shown in Figures 3 and 5, to engage opposite sides of the beets B and prevent the beets from slipping downwardly out of engagement by the cleaning mechanism as they move rearwardly towards the elevator H.

The hanger bar or strip at the left hand side of the frame I carries upper and lower bars 26 which extend rearwardly of the machine and at their rear ends are connected by a cross bar 21. These bars form a frame and to the bars 26 are secured bearings 28 through which crank shafts 29 and 30 are rotatably mounted. The crank shafts carry boards 3| which are connected with the crank shafts by bearings 32 and as the crank shafts turn the boards move in circular paths and move transversely of the frame as well as longitudinally thereof. Inner faces of the boards are formed with teeth 33 facing rearwardly of the harvester and. these teeth act upon the beets with a scraping action as well as turning them as they move rearwardly and dirt will be very effectively removed from the beets. A sprocket chain 34 is trained about sprocket wheels 35 carried by upper end portions of the crank shafts for transmitting rotary motion to the crank shaft 30 and the crank shaft 29 carries a beveled gear 36 meshing with a beveled gear 31 carried by a shaft 38. This drive shaft 38 extends transversely of the cleaner mechanism and is rotatably mounted in bearings 39, one bearing 39 being mounted upon the upper bar 26 and the other upon a bar 40 carried by the right hand hanger 'bar or upright cross bar 23.

The bar 40 constitutes an element of the right hand portion of the cleaner mechanism and below this bar are sprocket chains 4| spaced vertically from each other and trained about sprocket wheels 42' and 43. The sprocket wheels 42 are carried by a shaft 44 and sprocket wheels 43 by a shaft 45 rotatably mounted through the bearing 46 of the bracket 41 pivotally mounted at the inner side of the bar 40. This bracket carries a curved pin or finger 48 passing through an opening in bar 40 and a spring 49 mounted about the finger urges the bracket away from the bar. Therefore the sprocket chains will be extended longitudinally and also a sprocket chain 50 which transmits rotary motion to shaft 45 and is trained about a sprocket wheel carried by shaft 45 and a sprocket wheel 52 carried by a shaft 53 near the front end of the bar 40. This shaft 53 is rotatably mounted through a bearin 54 mounted'against the outer side face of bar 40 and at its upper end carries a beveled gear 55 meshing with a beveled gear 56 upon shaft 38. It will thus be seen that the sprocket chains 4| and the boards 3| are all powered from the shaft 38 and move in timed relation to each other when the harvester is in operation. Arms 51 extend laterally from chains 4| and engage the beets as shown in Figure 3 to urge the beets rearwardly along the rods or fingers 24 so that dirt will be dislodged from the beets and the cleaned beets eventually drop onto the elevator IT.

The shaft 38 is to be poweredfrom the tractor which draws the harvester across a field, and referring'to Figure 5 it will be seen that the shaft extends transversely from bar 40 and carries a beveled gear 58 meshing with a beveled gear 59 carried by a transmission shaft 60. This shaft 60 extends towards the front of the harvester and into a transmission casin 6| where it is connected by conventional gearing with a shaft 62 extending to the front end of frame I. Conventional mechanism 63 is provided for connecting shaft 62 with the power take-ofi of the tractor.

When the harvester is in operation the tops of beets are cut on by blade 5 and the beets then lifted from the ground by the shovels 22. As the beets are lifted from the ground they move rearwardly between the rods 24 and are engaged by the arms 51 of the chains 4| and by the teeth of the boards 3|. The arms 51 urge thebeets rearwardly and teeth of the boards not only urge the beets rearwardly but also turn them with a scraping motion which very effectively dislodges dirt from the beets. The chains 4| should be kept tight and pressed against the beets and in order to do so there has been provided a tightener consistin of a roller 64 carried by a bracket 65 having upper and lower arms 66 and 6'! slidably passing through the bar 40. A spring 68 which is coiled about the lower arm urges the bracket away from bar 45 and presses the roller against the inner flights, or runs, of the chains to tighten the chains and cause them to be firmly pressed against the beets. Therefore the chains may yield as the boards 3| move in a circular path and at all times have engagement with the beets. The tightener also comprises a roller 64a which bears against the inner sides of the outer flight or runs, of the chains 4|. 7 This roller adapts the tightener to move the outer runs of the chains 4| laterally outward when the inner flight, or runs, move in the same direction under the influence of large beets, whereby to prevent any slack occurring in the chains.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

1. In a beet harvester, cleaning mechanism including a hanger bar and a cross bar spaced transversely from each other, upper and lower bars extending rearwardly from the hanger bar, crank shafts rotatably mounted vertically adjacent front and rear ends of said bars boards carried by cranks of said crank shafts and having longitudinal movement in circular paths during rotation of the crank shafts, said boards having teeth upon their inner side faces presented rearwardly of the boards, a bar extending rearwardly from the cross bar, a sprocket chain mounted for endles movement longitudinally of the said cross bar and havin arms extending laterally from the chain for engaging back of beets between the chain and the boards and moving the beets rearwardly, and actuating means for the chain and the crankshafts.

2. In a beet harvester, cleaning mechanism including an upright hanger bar and an upright cross bar, upper and lower bars extending rearwardly from hanger bar, crankshafts rotatably carried by said bars near ends thereof with their cranks between the bars, boards carried bythe cranks and having inner faces provided with teeth presented rearwardly, sprocket wheels car ried by said crankshafts, a sprocket chain trained about the sprocket wheels, a drive shaft geared to one crankshaft, a bar extending rearwardly from the cross bar, sprocket wheels carried thereby, chains trained about the sprocket wheels and provided with arms for engaging beets, and means for driving said chain including a rotatable shaft geared to the drive shaft.

3. In a beet harvester, cleaning mechanism including bars extending longitudinally of the harvester and spaced from each other transversely thereof, vertically disposed crankshafts carried by one bar, boards carried by cranks ofsaid crankshaft and having longitudinal reciprocating motion in a circular path during rotation of the crankshafts, means for transmitting rotary motion from one crankshaft to the other, driving mechanism including a shaft extending transversely of the harvester and geared to one crankshaft, shafts rotatably carried by the other bar and carrying sprocket gears, sprocket chains trained about said sprocket wheelsand extending longitudinally of the second barwith their inner flights spaced from said boards, arms extending laterally from said sprocket chains, the boards having their inner side, faces provided with teeth for scraping and turning engagement with beets engaged and moved rearwardly of the harvester by said arms, and a geared connection between said drive shaft and one of the shafts carrying the sprocket wheels.

4. The invention as described in claim 2 wherein parallel rods extending rearwardly of said hanger bar and parallel with said upper and lower bars are positioned below said lower bar to retain the beets in position in said cleaning mechanism.

5. The invention as described in claim 1 wherein the sprocket chain is provided with a tightener to maintain contact between the chain and the beets during the operation of the cleaning mechanism. j

JAMES ANDREW HARWOOD. 

